Chapter 68
“You okay?”I asked Kaylee, who just finished her bowl of cereal. She seemed different after returning from California. Quieter. Something was on her mind, and she didn’t want to talk about it. But I wouldn’t give up. Teenagers needed their space and time.
I finished my coffee and washed my cup. I’d head to the office after dropping Kaylee off at school. Arrow had already left for work. His task tonight was to pick up a chocolate mousse cake and some Chinese food. I’d already bought her a T-shirt that read “My sister is AWESOME!” earlier this week.
It was Kaylee’s special day, but she didn’t know it yet.
“I’m okay.” She shrugged and grabbed her backpack.
“You miss Aimee?” The two girls had gotten even closer after the incident.
Kaylee nodded. “She had nightmares for a couple of nights. She slept in her parents’ room for one night. Then she asked if she could sleep with me the other night.”
“It’s going to take her time to heal and adjust to being home and feeling safe again. Life’s gonna feel odd until she can find her rhythm. She has people she loves around her, so she’ll be okay.” I pulled Kaylee into a hug. “Aimee can visit us anytime. You can visit her too. How about this summer?”
“Really?” Joy splashed on her face. “I know she’ll be okay. She has loving parents.”
“Of course.” Wanting to cheer her up, I said, “What do you say about Chinese with your favorite chocolate mousse cake for dessert?”
“Yes!” She punched a fist into the air. “What are we celebrating?”
“You. We’re celebrating you, my little genius. My little sister.”
She narrowed her eyes at me like I’d just grown a third eye. “Are YOU okay?”
“Yup. Just trying to promote more positive energy. I’m leading by example. So make sure you have a fabulous day, okay?”
“Okay,” she said warily as she slid on her jacket.
I wanted to let her know she was now my official sister forever and ever. The adoption had been completed a while ago, but I’d been meaning to do something special for her. I’d been so focused on finding Aimee that I’d let this celebration slip through my mind. This was an overdue celebration.
In my eyes, she had always been mine—part of my family. But I think it mattered to her that it became official. I sensed a longing in her voice just now when she spoke about Aimee and her parents. Kaylee didn’t grow up with two parents. Her mother died when she was young, so I could imagine how scared and lonely she’d been.
That would change. I’d make sure of it.
She deserved a party. Arrow and I did too. It had been a complete whirlwind, one storm after the other. If it were any other man, he probably would have ended the relationship a while ago. I had too much going on, and no man would want to deal with that much stress and danger. Arrow not only dealt with it, but he also took control of it. Like how he’d visited the storage unit with me.
My mom had a lot of gold bars, cash, and a flash drive containing evidence of the corrupt officials The Triad had dealt with. They even had incriminating evidence of other Triad leaders around the world. My grandfather had probably asked her to keep it safe for him.
I didn’t want this dirty money. It came with a kind of karma I preferred to stay away from. The Triad lifestyle wasn’t for me. I’d give the money to Calvin and hope he would put it to good use. But the giving part wasn’t as easy as I’d hoped. Arrow was organizing all of that for me.
“I’m ready,” Kaylee said, bringing me back to the moment.
“Let’s go.”
After dropping Kaylee off, I drove to work. My associate had taken care of my patients while I’d been away. Luckily, there hadn’t been any urgent visits. After lunch, I sent Arrow a text message reminding him about the Chinese food and the cake order I’d already placed under his name.
My office manager, Allison, stopped in my doorway. “We have a guywith an emergency. Dr. Jones doesn’t have any openings. Do you want to look?”
“Let me go out and talk to him. Maybe I can see what he needs and refer him to another office.” I didn’t want to take on adult patients. Arrow was the exception.
When I walked out to the front desk, my body tensed. The guy with the toothache was none other than Ghost. Even after the multiple plastic surgeries, I knew it was him. No matter how much someone changed their face, there were still aspects of them that remained.
His eyes were still filled with malice. My body’s instant reaction told me it was him. Intuition didn’t lie.
Ghost didn’t know I recognized him. He could be here because he wanted me dead. I was the one who got away. But what game was he playing? Was he testing me?
I’d been waiting for him after Arrow threw a punch to his mouth, making him lose two teeth.
Forcing my body to calm, I played along. “How can I help you, sir?”
He placed a hand on the right side of his mouth and winced. “Bad toothache. Can you look? I don’t have insurance, but I can pay in cash.”
If he were any other patient, I’d help him by using the Kindness Fund I’d set aside for people who couldn’t afford dental care. But I didn’t want to waste it on him. He had murdered my mother and tried to kill me.
“I’ll take care of him.” I nodded to Allison and walked toward my workstation, preparing for the exam of a lifetime. I would take care of him indeed.
I sensed the fiery blood of The Triad tycoon coursing through me. My grandfather would be proud to know that his granddaughter understood the power of vengeance. That I’d do anything to protect my family. In the beginning, I’d wanted Ghost to rot in prison.
But what if he escaped? I couldn’t be sure he’d leave Dad, Kaylee, Arrow, or me alone. He had to be stopped. I didn’t know if Mom would approve of what I was about to do. I hoped she would understand if she were watching me from up there. She didn’t want my dad or me involved in The Triad or anything involving crime. And here I was, preparing for the ultimate crime.
Please forgive me.
I was only callous and vengeful toward evil murderers. Arrow had told me Orion had already gotten to the containers holding the women and children that Ghost was supposed to deliver. Ghost had failed his buyers, which meant disgruntled people were probably after him. Or maybe he’d already replaced the women and children. The thought sickened me. When would this all stop?
“Please fill out this patient form, and we’ll get you settled.”
Dakota was performing a cleaning for another patient. She’d be over to help me with Ghost as soon as she was done.
My hands shook as I prepared the dental tools. So much for committing crimes. Such an amateur. I got out the new device I’d created with an expert at the company Arrow had connected me with, which made dental devices and other high-tech equipment. I’d have to tell Arrow about Ghost. But that could wait until after the exam.
Nausea rose in me, but I focused on my breathing.
Stay calm. Pretend he’s just another patient.
I’d reached out to Chicken a week ago to ensure Ghost hadn’t approached him regarding the debt that had been squared away at the club. Though Ghost had lost to Arrow, I couldn’t take a criminal at his word. Thankfully, Chicken stated he hadn’t seen or heard from Ghost.
When Ghost entered the exam room, I gestured for him to lie in the chair. “We need to do some x-rays.”
He nodded, allowing Dakota to take the images while I reviewed his patient form. All lies. A fake name, a fake address, and probably a fake phone number. He stated his occupation as unemployed. That was probably true. Committing crimes wasn’t an official occupation.
After reviewing the x-rays, I shook my head at the seven cavities and one fractured tooth, none of which resulted from Arrow’s punch. I smiled at the empty spots of the loose teeth.
“When did you last visit the dentist?” I asked.
“Can’t remember.”
“You have seven cavities. I can fix the big cavity today with a crown.” I pointed to the computer screen showing the multiple cavities. “You’ll have to come back a few times for me to fix the others.”
“Shit.” His eyes widened.
He wasn’t lying about the toothache. The huge cavity was the culprit. “You’re going to need regular checkups to maintain healthy teeth.” I gave him the standard dental spiel as I began working on his teeth.
Ghost didn’t flinch as Dakota and I worked on his tooth. I took the silver crown out of the drawer and sent Dakota to assist Dr. Jones, who was running late with a patient. The process would be easier and quicker with Dakota’s help, but I didn’t want to involve her in what I was about to do.
It would be so easy to kill him right now. Reliving the nightmare of what he’d done to me and how he’d killed my mother made my blood boil. Though I’d never killed anyone in my life, I could end his life right now with my handpiece accidentally slipping to the back of his throat, causing massive blood loss. Oopsie. It would be too easy.
But I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life in prison, and I needed information.
Ghost was working with The Trogyn, who were after Arrow and his friends. Apparently, they had also tried to hurt me and my friends. Assholes. Who was behind this crime organization? Ghost could lead me to them. Someone was supporting him all these years. Who were his business partners? I wanted all of them in prison.
Arrow had mentioned that members of this dangerous organization ranged from government officials to royalty from all over the world. No wonder the world was a messed-up place. It was ruled by corrupted assholes.
“You doing okay?” I asked, without even thinking about who I was talking to. The dentist in me naturally cared for my patients.
He gave a thumbs up because I had the suction tool in his mouth. My heart pounded in my chest as I positioned the special crown. The expert who created it told me it was the first prototype he’d ever made. I couldn’t wait to share this with Arrow. There was a tracker with advanced voice recording and?—
Ghost jerked and held up a hand.
“We’re almost done.” I had accidentally touched a sensitive area on the tooth.
When he was all set, he paid the office one thousand dollars in cash, and that was with the cash discount. I told Allison to set it aside. It was probably dirty money, and I wanted to donate to a shelter.
After finishing my paperwork, it was time to head home. Everyone had already left for the day. I had to document what I’d done with my new crown. I typed up the installation date and the code activation, sent the link to my phone, and texted Arrow.
Vivian: Ghost came to the office today. Got a surprise for him. Will tell you at home. (smile emoji)
I glanced at the time on my phone. He was probably on his way to pick up the food and the cake. This was another thing to celebrate tonight.
Satisfied, I gathered my things and headed out. It was only six in the evening, and there was more daylight now than a few weeks ago. Spring was in the air, bringing with it a sense of a new beginning. I loved this feeling.
Being so close to my enemy today was a new beginning in itself. I was tending to my enemy. I gave him the most innovative and expensive crown he’d ever get. Though it had an activation code to erupt in his mouth at my command, I wouldn’t do that unless I had to. I preferred he rot poison and take all his accomplices with him.
I got into my car and drove home, but then I remembered I wanted to get some balloons for Kaylee. So I headed to the party store and pulled into the parking lot.
As I got out of my car, someone called my name. “Dr. Vo.”
I whirled around to see Ghost close to me. Had he followed me? With the party on my mind, I hadn’t paid attention. The smirk on his face told me he didn’t follow me to ask about dental care.
Fear twisted in me as I glanced around at the parking lot. There was no one nearby.
“You’re not getting away this time, bitch.” A fist came at me, and I blocked it, kicking him in the shin.
I wanted to reach for my phone to activate the damn explosion, but he kept attacking me. There was no time to rummage through my purse to turn on the phone. Dropping my purse, I used both hands to defend myself. I clawed at his eyes and his face, wanting to destroy all the expensive work he had done. I dug my nails in as much as possible, scratching his eyes.
He screamed but continued to attack me as if physical pain didn’t affect him.
I shouted. “Please help me!”
Laughing like a lunatic, he sprayed something in my eyes. For a moment, they burned, and I couldn’t see anything.
Something sharp pierced my stomach. Pain erupted as another stab penetrated me. I blinked, and everything lost focus. Even with the blurry image, I could gauge where he was. Though I was bleeding a lot, I charged at him, but my body didn’t have the strength. I dropped to the ground as pain crippled me.
“Hey! What’s going on?” someone shouted.
“She’s bleeding a lot, honey!”
A commotion followed, but I was in another world. Images of Mom, Dad, Kaylee, and Arrow floated in front of me like a movie.
Tears welled because I knew I was dying . . .